Carbon monoxide sends 7 people to hospital, 2 in critical condition

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SEATTLE — Seven people, including a Seattle police officer, were sent to local hospitals for carbon monoxide poisoning at a condo in north Seattle Wednesday.

At about 4:48 p.m., police officers and Seattle Fire Department personnel responded to the 13700 block of 35th Avenue NE for the report of a carbon monoxide exposure, the Seattle Police Department said. An officer investigating the incident was exposed to the carbon monoxide while searching an apartment for victims. He was transported to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Two men were located and transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, the SPD statement said. “One was located inside a garage with the car believed to be the source of the carbon monoxide and the other was located in the apartment above the garage,” it said.

Four additional adults, two men and two women, from neighboring units were transported to area hospitals for evaluation and treatment related to their exposure to the carbon monoxide.

The Seattle Times reported that Fire Department spokeswoman Sue Stangl said a resident returned home in the 13700 block of 35th Avenue NE and noticed a strong smell of exhaust. He pinpointed it to one condo, where the front door was open, and he found two elderly men unconscious inside.

A responding police officer and two residents were taken to the hospital after they were overcome while rescuing the two elderly men. The two elderly men were in critical condition, Stangl told the Times.